Talented and Gifted

Authorities, parents, and educators have long recognized that intellectually gifted students require specialized educational experiences that promote the development and expression of their potential. If gifted individuals—as children, youth and adults—are to experience fulfilling lives and if society is to derive optimal benefits from gifted individuals’ uncommon potentials, an educational program must be structured to develop more fully their exceptional and varied abilities, interests and talents.

The TMSA gifted program is a response to the need to address the unique learning characteristics, interests, personal needs and capabilities of gifted children. The program emphasizes the gifted students’ need for interaction with intellectual peers. Emphasis on the individual highlights the fact that there are differences among gifted students and a need for specialized educational experiences to meet these differences.

Basic to the philosophy of this program is the idea that no one teacher, resource, or instructional method can meet the needs of gifted students. Education for the gifted is viewed as a cooperative endeavor characterized, facilitated, and realized by the efforts of numerous individuals in the schools and community.

K-5 Resource

Scholars in grades K-5 receive enrichment services weekly from the TAG resource teacher. During their weekly experience, they are given advanced content instruction in all areas, participate in exercises to build higher-level thinking and creativity, and explore and learn through different experiences. All identified TAG and High Potential students are pulled 4 hours every week for enrichment.

6 - 8 Resource

Scholars in grades 6 - 8 will receive TAG instruction as 1/6 of the instructional day. During their time in the TAG classroom, students will complete independent projects that will engage them in higher-order thinking and broaden their research skills. Our scholars will have the opportunity to explore topics that interest them while simultaneously building 21st-century skills.

Type 3 Exploration - SEM (Schoolwide Enrichment Model)

Students have the opportunity to explore their passions through Type 3 Schoolwide Enrichment Model (SEM) projects. The Schoolwide Enrichment Model was designed by Joseph Renzulli, a pioneer in the field of Gifted Education. Students are able to join different classes that spark their interests. These classes meet once a week for different creative projects and activities. This style of learning while doing promotes innovation as scholars work to solve real-world problems they are passionate about.

Curriculum Compacting

Curriculum compacting is a technique for differentiating instruction that allows teachers to make adjustments to the curriculum for scholars who have already mastered the material to be learned, replacing content students know with new content, enrichment options, or other activities. Through this methodology, teachers pre-assess students at the start of each new unit. If a scholar shows mastery and a level of understanding appropriate for the standard’s requirements, they are compacted out of that unit. Scholars and parents then agree on a plan of learning created by the scholar and teacher that outlines what the content will be replaced with.

Advanced Content and Acceleration

Acceleration occurs when students move through the traditional curriculum at rates faster than typical. We offer subject-based acceleration (e.g., when a fifth-grade student takes a middle school math course). This method of enrichment is available to scholars who are able to demonstrate complete mastery of content for their current grade level in one or more content areas. District testing is completed with such scholars and those scholars who perform at the required level are then accelerated to the next grade level in the content area that they qualified in. Middle school scholars grades 6-8 receive advanced content across all content areas daily. We also offer 9th grade ELA, Algebra 1, and Physical Science to scholars who are in the 8th grade.